In the app store is there any easy, ideally universal way to tell whether an app supports Retina graphics? A great deal of apps have a What's New entry that says "Added Retina Support" or "Support for New iPad" but as time passes that won't be a good measure.

I've noticed some apps have lower-res thumbnails (I can only tell by looking) on my Homescreen but the App Store icons tend to look perfectly clear. Of course running the app I can usually immediately see if it's the old resolution, but I'd like to be able to tell before I download (or purchase!) the app.

There's no definitive way. But looking at release notes or developer notes, file size of the app (Retina adds considerable data), and screenshots are typically enough to give you that info.
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user10355Jan 15 '13 at 18:22

2 Answers
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Unfortunately there is no way uniformed way to verify iPad Retina Display support. But I wouldn't expect there to be one since Retina and Non Retina iPad applications, from a hardware support standpoint, are identical. Retina Display capable apps will run perfectly fine on the first and second gen iPads. Therefore, there would not be any need for Apple to list this under the requirements section. You're only option is to read the the change log found within the description section of each application.

I don't think there is any need for you to avoid buying any application simply because it does not support iPad's Retina Display. I would expect any of these apps in question will eventually get the update needed. I would suggesting checking out the last updated date for whichever app you're interested in purchasing. It is always a good sign if the app has been updated recently since it shows active support from the developer. Any app that hasn't been updated in a year is likely one you would want to avoid.

Lastly, a lot of these applications scale wonderfully on the iPad and even if you notice the pixelation from the lacking support of the iPad's Retina Display, that pixelation will be rather minor and hardly ruin the app experience.